5 Tips to Help You Select the Best Yoga Teacher Training Program

So, you’ve been thinking about it for quite some time now and decided that you want to join a yoga teacher training program? If yes, congratulations! Joining such a program will not only help you learn how to make the most out of your yoga sessions in the future but also create a potential career for you. But with the plethora of training programs available today, how do you select the right one for you? By keeping the following factors in mind during your selection.

1.    Your Goals

Before you sign up for a yoga teacher training program, take time to evaluate yourself and learn what you want to accomplish by the end of the training period. For instance, do you want to learn yoga so you can teach others, or are you only training to deepen your understanding of yoga? Some students often enroll in such programs to deepen their knowledge, only to discover it's something they want to do for the rest of their lives.

Other than that, also consider what you want to learn the most. This is essential because every yoga program places emphasize on various values and elements. For instance, your primary aim may be to learn Yoga Sutras and Sanskrit only to discover the program you signed up for doesn't offer much emphasis on these elements.

Being precise about your intentions will help you narrow down your search as you will limit your list to programs that align with your intentions.

2.    The Yoga Teacher

Once you determine what your goals are, the next vital factor to consider is the yoga teacher. Since you'll be training for some time, you want to be trained by a teacher whose style of teaching and personal philosophy jives with yours.

3.    The Yoga School’s Reputation

Some yoga training programs are essentially money-making mills. They will take anyone who can afford to pay the registration fee, regardless of whether they can accommodate them. In that vein, you want to sign up for a program with a selective intake procedure, and one with small class sizes.

The smaller the number of students in your class, the more intimate your instructor will be. Hence, they will be keen on following up on your progress and see you succeed. Also, when there are fewer students, the easier it will be to find a like-minded partner who may even end up being your business partner if you ever decide to open a practice.

4.    The Credentials

At the end of the yoga teacher training program, you will receive a certification as proof that you've undergone professional yoga training. If, at some point, you want to teach yoga, you want to ensure the practice, as well as the certification you received, is legal. This is important because any potential students will often ask for proof of training. Also, without the right certification, you cannot qualify for insurance. Therefore, ensure the international governing body certifies your training program for yoga known as Yoga Alliance before you commit.

5.    Evaluate the Time and Money Requirement

For some people, putting everything on hold and committing to full-time yoga classes is an easy decision. But if you’ve got other life-commitments that cannot be dropped, such an approach may not work for you. So consider the hours you’ll be required in a class, as well as when they take place. If they do not fit, then you may want to tell the facility to arrange a special solution for you. If this isn’t possible, then you may want to consider other training programs. Also, consider the cost. A yoga program might be the best fit for you, but if you can't afford it, then it will be of no good for you.

Yoga teacher training is only the starting of a life-changing journey. But it all starts at a reputable training facility such as Inbody Yoga Training. So ensure to take your time during the selection process.

This is a guest blog entry.